Former county cricket player from Calderdale jailed for child grooming

Cricket friendley - Barkisland v Walsden.
Walsden's Richard Sladdin.

Published:13:26Updated:13:36Thursday 13 April 2017

A former county cricketer from Calderdale has been jailed for 12 months for arranging to meet a young girl for sex.

Richard Sladdin, of Burnley Road, Mytholmroyd, was ensnared by self-styled paedophile hunters who pretended to be a 14 year old girl on dating app Lovoo.

The former left handed spin bowler, who played for Derbyshire CC, Somerset CC and later Walsden, was accosted by the group in a car park when he attempted to meet the fictional girl, who was named Claire.

The encounter was filmed and posted on the internet where it had been viewed more than two million times.

Bolton Crown Court heard that Sladdin, who had the username TrickyDicky69, had asked Claire if she was “looking for a daddy” and if she would engage in vaginal, anal and oral sex with him.

He also asked if she was a virgin.

Jailing Sladdin, the Recorder of Bolton Timothy Clayson said: “The messages demonstrate you were asking the witness you believed to be a teenage girl to engage in various forms penetrative sex.

“ You expected her mother would be out and you expected to have intercourse.”

David Bentley, mitigating, said: “There has been a high degree of remorse by Mr Sladdin throughout the process.”

He said no real child was at risk and that he may not have gone through with it. Sladdin’s home had also been bricked and his car damaged.

Judge Clayson said he accepted Sladdin was remorseful and pleaded guilty at an early stage.

Sladdin was jailed for 12 months of which he will serve half in custody and half on licence. He was made subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.